1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a print processing technique and, more particularly, to a job grouping technique for handling a plurality of jobs collectively as a single job.
2. Description of the Related Art
A conventional method of controlling the print order of print jobs is to perform continuous printing collectively in conformity with the order of printing, as disclosed in the specification of Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2001-75768. Further, “push” printing has been used as a method of printing from a server to a device. This can be implemented in simple fashion without requiring a large console on the device side. With conventional push printing, however, printing control is carried out with the status of the device unknown. Consequently, there are occasions where printing ends unexpectedly owing to a shortage of paper, etc.
With the progress that has been made in enlarging the device control panel in recent years, “pull”-type printing can now be performed in a manner similar to that of a personal computer, etc. With pull printing, jobs held in a server are displayed in list form on the control panel, selection of a job is accepted from the user and print processing is executed. In other words, control is exercised in such a manner that print jobs flow from the server to the device. Further, another available arrangement of pull printing is one that prints jobs from a plurality of servers. For example, the server that displays a job is changed over as by pressing a tab on the control panel. Further, there is a job grouping function whereby a plurality of print jobs are handled collectively as a single job and control is exercised in such a manner that back-to-back jobs are not allowed to be interrupted by another job.
However, a certain problem arises when a plurality of jobs spanning a plurality of servers are grouped. Specifically, if an error occurs in one or more jobs among a grouped plurality of jobs, print processing cannot be executed normally. The only solution has been to terminate print processing by treating all of the print jobs as being in error or to execute processing only up to the job immediately preceding the occurrence of the error.